Thursday, July 05, 2007

Nicaragua V: Government and Church

I haven't written about the complex relationship between Nicaragua and the countries of the Northern Hemisphere which have sought to control its people and its land. Christopher Columbus blew through in 1502 and Nicaragua has been tangled up with the Spanish, the British, and the Americans ever since. The effects of their and our influence have not been particularly positive.

There is something telling about the final image above: a ruined and abandoned cathedral with a tourist carriage waiting out front. You can decide for yourself whether those who have dropped by Nicaragua for political, economic, religious, or sightseeing reasons have made any contribution worth noting.

Why Gannet? Why Search the Sea?

Gannets are enormous and sleek creamy-white seabirds, with black wingtips, yellow heads and necks, and startlingly outlined eyes. They nest on the rocky cliffs of the European and North American coasts of the North Atlantic and, once grown, spend their days sailing across the ocean. The acrobatics by which they make their living ~ steep climbs into the air and speedy plunges straight into the sea ~ are rivaled only by those of pelicans.
What better metaphor for a sweeping search of one's life choices and opportunities than a gannet extended above the waves, a regal and yet restless surveyor of the vast ocean surface? The gannet reminds us that life is an adventure in both beauty and profound unease, and that the sea itself is limitless in its textures and possibilities.